Treacherous Foundations: Betrayal and Collective Identity in Early Spanish Epic, Chronicle, and Drama: 281 (Monografías A, 281) - Tapa dura

Elegantly written...Treacherous Foundations is a welcome contribution to medieval and early-modern studies. SPECULUM

The historical specificity [the author] brings to her discussion of acts of treachery is admirable. Coates has given me a deeper understanding of the literary uses of betrayal, making me think anew about a literary problem I thought I knew fairly well. I cannot imagine that her book will not provoke further conversation about the implications of treachery in early Spanish literature. HISPANIC REVIEW

A book that is rich in ideas and based on a wealth of first-rate scholarship, much of which is not commonly found in studies of Spanish literature. It is expansive in its inquiry, and the author is not afraid to confront ideas that contradict her own. The texts that Coates studies are given new life through this vast array of scholarship incorporated into her very lively and intelligent discussion. BULLETIN OF SPANISH STUDIES

Treacherous Foundations is the first sustained study of the theme of treachery in the founding myths of the Iberian Peninsula. It considers literary versions, in epic, chronicle and theatre, of the legends of Fernán González, Bernardo del Carpio and King Sancho II from medieval and early modern Spain and compares the representation of treachery across two critical periods in Spanish history, assessing its political, ideological, and cultural function.
This book explores the role played by representations of treachery in foundational texts in highlighting the ideological tensions that arise from movements toward the creation of collective identities. It discusses in particular visions of nationhood and the monarchical state in the thirteenth and late sixteenth centuries. The theme of treachery is expanded to cover all aspects of treason and political disloyalty and, engaging with loyalty, trust and the nature of kingship, the volume sheds new light on aspects of Spanish cultural and political history, and provides insight into the nature of myth and collective memory, historical change and the collective response to crisis.

GERALDINE COATES lectures in Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oxford.